Almost always, it's better to re-size, because re-
smalping makes theimage jagged (as you 
described), and forces the person to DL the WHOLE 
image, even if they don't want to see it. So not 
only is quality compromised, but it bumps up 
loading time and makes coming to someone' page an 
unpleasant experience :( That's my opinion on it, 
at least.

As for re-sixing, there are a few things hat can 
help your images come out smoother. First off, 
ratios matter. When an image is re-sized to an 
odd size, say from 600 to, oh, we'll say, 250 
pixels, because 250 cannot fit into a ratio with 
600, it is more likely that 250 will come out a 
bit jagged.

I know it sounds wierd, and odd, and makes no 
sense. Perhaps if I us a better example.

If I have an image that is 600 pixels wide, and I 
want to reduce it to 250 pixels. The image will 
ome out NICER looking if I first reduce the image 
to 300 pixels (being on a ratio of 1/2 w/ 600), 
and THEN reduce it to 250. 

And then if I wanted an image szed125, I'd go 
form 600 to 300, then from 300 to 150, and reduce 
150 to 125. This keeps the lines cleaner, due to 
even ratios, and prevents jagging.

Now, I work mainly with the 1/2 ratio, but other 
ratios can be used. I just find this one brings 
the best results.

Ack, I know this sounds nonsensical, but it maks 
sense in my head, it really does! ^^

-Misha